I hope linking to my photobucket account is okay, in place of posting pictures here. If not, I can edit it out. Just wanted to show off my first basecoat and get some criticism/pointers/suggestions, etc. Feel free to be as brutally honest as it warrants.

Thanks! No, I'm not going to dip him, but I do plan on shading and highlighting, just need to feel more comfortable with going about those processes involved. There are still a number of things I'm very uncertain about, such as... how to shade him, but with brushes and paints/washes. I'm not a wargamer, so I'm looking for, I guess, more detail? My understanding is that dipping is a quick and easy way to make these look more realistic from about 3 feet away. Also, I enjoyed the process of basecoating, I could get really into adding more of the finer features. I'm doing this for my pleasure, so time isn't a major concern right now. I just want to learn more and paint nice models.

I didn't post the image directly into the thread because that figure isn't a WGF mini. I don't even know what brand it is. It came as a freebie with my Vallejo paint set and had no discernible markings on it whatsoever.

Dipping can be effective... and offers some short cuts for rank and file troops. You can also brush on the dip to be more selective about where it is applied.

Your base coat is very neat and tidy. To continue in the painting style you have begun, highlights and then a wash or two would be good. A reddish brown wash on the skin, a dark brownish wash on the clothes maybe a black wash on the leather parts. The cloak I would be tempted to use a much darker green wash (more a glaze) just in the folds.

Thanks for the input. I'm working up the nerve to try a wash, though I don't have any proper washes currently available. I guess I'll just use very thin paint and play a bit to see what happens. I'm not against dipping at all, just don't feel like taking a shortcut when I'm still learning. I'll probably wonder why as I progress in the hobby, considering how long it can take to properly finish a mini, and I will be painting lots of them over the winter.